I need help with my nettle problem!

[FelixFelicis]

Hi guys! I'm not much of a gardener, and i need some help from you backyard chicken experts!

About three years ago I moved into a house that had been empty for 3 years. The garden was a mess! I've managed to get most of it sorted out and looking almost ok, but I'm still having problems! The back end of my garden had been used as an allotment by the previous owners, but since then it has grown into a carpet of weeds, mainly nettles and sticky weed! At first I tried to weed these out by hand, but the root system back there is manic. It literally is like a carpet of nettle roots under the soil and though I worked on it throughout the spring that year I hardly touched the surface, as soon as I thought I'd cleared a patch of it they grew straight back. For a while I just resorted to strimming them down and binning all the debris just to stop it spreading any further and try and suppress them a bit, but this year I went ahead and bought weedkiller. I'm using roundup, which is one of the best selling brands here in the UK and claims to be very effective on nettles. However, I have sprayed over the 'patch' of weeds three times in the last two weeks with very little effect (as you can see from the photos)! they're just growing bigger and bigger and cropping up everywhere and I really am stumped as to what to do next!

Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[dan26552]

I use leaves and pine straw to keep most of the weeds in my garden at bay, laying cardboard and then leaves or pine straw on top works really well for me

 

[lazy gardener]

After reading the literature regarding round up, I vowed it would never enter my property again. And, indeed, except for the issues with poison ivy, there is very little use I would ever have for any thing of the sort. I'd sooner live with the poison ivy. However, your weed problem looks like a cake walk. My recommendation: Deep mulch. I recommend a combination of approaches which include: Back to Eden (You can view this excellent video on the internet, "Lasagna Gardening" by Patricia Lanza, and deep mulch ("Gardening Without Work" by Ruth Stout) If you're concerned about the weed infestation being too much to get a grip on in a single season, you could lay down cardboard and mulch for your walking paths, and then do a series of hay bale garden beds for your growing crops. It takes about 2 weeks to prepare a hay bale for growing vegetables. This would then break down and give you an excellent base for next year's garden. Your best friend in this situation will be a deep (at least 6" deep) and PERMANENT mulch.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

I agree with lazy gardener. I'd do anything to avoid roundup. For one thing, as you said, it doesn't really work- it's so popular that weeds have grown resistant to it. For another, even if I had no problem with pesticides, I would never support that company (the one that produces roundup). They may well be one of the most vile companies on the face of the earth- look it up.

But back on topic- again, I agree with lazy gardener. Just bury the weeds basically and plant on top of it. You will have good soil. I haven't weeded a garden in a long time- why should I? Put down mulch, straw, or even an old tarp with holes cut in it. Put the plants in the holes and voila- no weeding, plus other benefits like moisture retention.

People act like weeding is inevitable, but it really isn't. There are plenty of people who don't do any weeding and achieve excellent results. I wish you success with your hopefully weed-free garden!

 

[lazy gardener]

They don't call me lazy for nuthin'!

 

[FelixFelicis]

thanks guys!

 

[Yukonn15]

I hear ya I have reaccuring nettle weed and other nasty thorny weeds that keep popping up by trees andr right in the middle of ground cover and other beds if I'm just not paying attention long enough. I have learned not to vacation in May. But I can certainly vouch for the above advice. I am a huge fan of Lasagna Gardening. That book is excellent. Some of the best gardening advice. Pile cardboard or tons of newspaper or weed barrier and build your beds up. You will be much happier. I did have to be gone for about 3 weeks this month for a out of state wedding and other stuff. But I will be playing catch up for awhile. I do have to dig these nasty thorny weeds by hand out a bed of pac-a-Sandra. All I can think of is dig them out and pour some preen in the spots. But for a whole bed Lasagna Gardening is the way to go. My hand is still stinging from my encounter with nettle last night. So I get your pain.